


Bedtime for Cutie

by Charlie Rotanev (Immerghensi)



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Age Play, Age Play Little Son Hyunwoo | Shownu, Little Space, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 10:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17465645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Immerghensi/pseuds/Charlie%20Rotanev
Summary: An unexpected hero emerges in Kihyun’s time of need.





	Bedtime for Cutie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dkhodges](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dkhodges/gifts).



Kihyun is getting worried.

 

It isn’t unusual for him to fret unnecessarily over his members, but he can’t help it. He loves them all so much. He wants what’s best for them, which, for Shownu, is dropping into Little space. _But_ said Little has refused. Repeatedly. It’s been nearly three weeks since he last dropped, a month since that time in the kitchen. He leaves when kids’ shows show up on the TV. When the others start using silly voices to annoy one another, he tells them to knock it off, come on guys, in that playful yet serious voice that warns them not to toe the line. He gives Kihyun a suspicious look whenever he comes into the kitchen and is asked to taste-test something straight from the other man’s outstretched hand. And it hurts Kihyun physically, if the pain in his chest is any measure. He’s got to do something.

 

Their schedules are going to pick up again. To deny it would be foolish. They’ve survived comebacks before, sure, but now that he knows-- and now that Shownu has dropped once-- things are different. The worst part is that he’s scheduled to appear for a singing show in a week.

 

Alone.

 

It’s just for a little bit, but he won’t be there in case-- well, it’s not like he’ll drop anyway, right? No one else knows, so he won’t be comfortable being little so he won’t drop. Kihyun stops sweeping.

 

He won’t be comfortable.

 

_He won’t have a choice._

 

He’s got to do something, and soon.

**

Kihyun moves along with muscle memory, not caring enough to make his movements crisp. He’s a singer, not a dancer, so the choreographers don’t mind, but they do notice how his eyes stay trained on something that isn’t there. Quietly, he runs through thousands of scenarios, picking out the possible problems.

Was there anyone he could trust enough to be a caretaker? What if Shownu got hurt? Does he tell anyone? What are the consequences of telling? What are the consequences of not?

He nearly runs into someone when they do one of those fancy position switches that looks better from above, his foot coming down hard on the studio floor.

 

“Are you ok?” A voice calls, hands helping him up. He nods. The music continues. Kihyun gets back into position, head in a daze. How had is never occurred to him that this could be exactly what he's looking for? It had been in in front of his face the entire time. He finishes the dance with fewer thoughts and what might, if he’s lucky enough, be a solution.

**

Now that he's started the conversation, he feels squeemish under the eldest member's glare. 

 

“I don’t like it.” He grumbles, glasses almost at the end of his nose. He’d caught their leader right before bedtime in the hopes that he’d be more relaxed talking about the little-caregiver arrangement.

 

This, clearly, was not the case.

 

“I know you don’t. This is all new, you don’t trust all of us. And I know-- no, hyung, you don’t have to say anything, I know you care about all of us, this doesn’t have to do anything with that. It’s about what you’re comfortable with.”

 

“You know I wouldn’t have told you if I had a choice.”

 

“I know, and that’s why I’m nervous. What if something like that happens? I know you’ve been trying to avoid the things that will make you drop, but there’s always the unknown. They’re smart kids, as much as we like to tease otherwise. They’ll figure it out eventually.”

 

He’s thinking it over, weighing one side against the other. About ten seconds later, he’s nodding slowly, then with more conviction. “You have someone in mind?”

 

“I do, actually, yes.”

 

“And you’re sure he’ll be ok with this?” Shownu whispers.

 

“I don’t know anything for sure, but he’s our best bet. And you don’t have to tell anyone else, it’s just because having two caretakers is much safer than having just one. Two is all you need, unless you want more, which we can talk about later.”

 

“Ok.” he says finally. Kihyun lets out a breath, smiling for the first time since the conversation started.

 

“Ok.”

**

For all his tomfoolery, Minhyuk could be a trustworthy guide when it came to life advice. He’d steered Kihyun more than once, bringing him back from the brink of almost disastrous situations. He knew more than he let on, and for that reason, he was the one who needed to know next. Kihyun knocks on his door once, twice, again.

 

“Hey, you have a moment?” The door opens a crack, revealing eyes unevenly blinking as they take in the sight of the smaller man. The door almost slams open.

 

“Sure! Come on in!” Minhyuk’s room has more whale plushies than usual; no doubt gifts from fans. He surrounded himself in their love when the antis got too strong or when his ability to block them out grew too weak. It must have been a tough week. Kihyun will have to keep an eye on him. “What’s up?”

 

“I need to talk to you about something sensitive. I really would have liked to keep this private, but I took a peek at the upcoming schedule and I can’t risk it.”

 

The blonde man’s arms wrap around him, his cheek pressed into his back so they don’t have to face each other. It’s a small mercy. “You can tell me anything, Kihyunnie. We’re November buddies, monfamily.”

 

“I… When I tell.. Please, just don’t say anything until I get this all out.” He takes a breath to calm himself, “Shownu has a lot of stress, we all do, what with being idols and all, but he puts himself under pressure as our leader.” Minhyuk gives a quiet hum, nodding every few seconds to encourage him. “He looks out for us on top of his own schedules. So, to relieve stress, he… likes to be Little. Do you know anything about age regression?”

 

In the blink of an eye, his head rockets up. He’s smiling. _He’s smiling?_ “Age regression? Yeah, I actually know a lot! Here, you can take my notes. Are you his primary caretaker? This is great, I’m glad it’s you! There are a few things you should probably know, just the basics like talking to him about his limits, the things he does and doesn’t like, just to make sure he feels safe, y’know? Of course you do...”

 

Minhyuk piles three folders and a composition notebook onto Kihyun’s lap as he rambles. His hands move in small circles like a conductor as he tries to remember what he needs. Kihyun's face is still slack. 

 

“You knew this whole time?”

 

“Me? Know? No, not a chance, I wouldn’t have expected it out of Hyung- he’s the strong silent type. I’ve seen it in other groups though. The sunshines like to talk- me, J-Hope, DK, Youngjae, some others- we keep tabs on one another just in case. We get sad sometimes in a way we don’t like talking about. Anyway, J-Hope has one in his group and was asking us. We all did our own research and then came together to share, and then we made a big master list of things everyone should know. Which you, my lucky little friend, are now in possession of.”

 

“Wait, that’s not actually what I wanted to ask you about. Have you looked at the upcoming schedule?”

 

“Yeah, we’ve got those interviews and then I head off with Shownu-hyung to Hello Counselor while I.M and Jooheon go off to the states for the rap workshop, and you go off to do I Can See Your Voice and Wonho-hyung and Hyungwon work on choreo. Why?”

 

“I’m going to be gone for a while, and I’m worried. Like… what happens if he drops and no one’s there to take care of it? What if he needs to drop and he can’t and it hurts him?”

 

“You wanted to ask if I would look out for him?” Kihyun nods furiously. “Have you spoken to him?”

 

“He’s less than pleased, but I told him it would be better to have two, just as a safety measure, y’know?”

 

Minhyuk did, indeed, know that having a backup was safer than having just one caregiver, especially since this Little (his Little???) had just dropped for the first time in years. He’ll have to have a long talk with Shownu, but that doesn’t bother him.

 

“If he’s ok with it, then I’m ok with it. You’ve got yourself another caregiver.”

**

Leaving has never been easy. He hides it well, at least he thinks he does, as the others whack him on the back and tell him to break some eardrums while he’s gone. He made sure to leave everything in perfect mom order so they wouldn’t destroy anything. Everything is organized in the emergency Little Box, Kihyun has given all of the pointers he can (which are not many, now that he thinks about it), and he’s instructed Minnie to keep him updated everyday, so help him Jesus. Minhyuk and Shownu had agreed to talk once everyone had dispersed. Wonho, Jooheon, Hyungwon, and I.M would be breathing down their necks leading up to him leaving; they couldn’t risk it. Beyond that, there isn’t much more he can do.

 

He wraps his arms around his leader’s shoulders, gentle. “Call me if you need me and I swear to all things good and holy that I’ll pick up. I will physically leave the building and fight my way back.”

 

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be ok.” He whispers back.

 

Kihyun moves onto Minhyuk. “Promise me you’ll be careful with him. Please, be gentle.” He lets go when one of the managers pulls on his elbow, urging him to go. They’ll be late as it is. Promise me, he mouths as he gets into the car.

 

Minhyuk promises.

**

The first few days are ok. They’re moving like gears, like normal. Everyone’s schedules are different and it keeps them a good kind of busy. Minhyuk keeps track of Shownu out of the corner of his eye. He doesn’t put the TV on, nor does he use any of the silly voices. It feels wrong to ease him into Little space like that. If Shownu has to drop, he’ll show some sign. He’ll see the sign.

 

It’s driving Kihyun crazy though. Each day that he sends an status update text is met with some mild grumbling and some vague complaining. On top of doing the show, apparently he’s required to meet with some company partners. It’s a PR thing, Kihyun doesn’t even understand it fully. No one bothered to explain it before they shoved him a car and carted him off to a fancy restaurant.

 

“It wasn’t even that nice, Min!” He moans. There’s a loud _poofft_ which sounds distinctly like someone bellyflopping on the bed.

 

“It’s better than that incredibly awkward lunch Hyungwonnie and Wonho-hyung had with PD-nim. They had to make small talk. You know how Hyungwon is with small talk.”

 

“Sounds like a good story for when I get back. I’ll have to interrogate him about it.” A beat of silence crosses the phone line. Minhyuk knows what comes next. “How is he doing?”

 

“Alright, I guess. He’s stressed like usual. We spoke, and he told me not to worry too much. He hasn’t shown any signs of dropping though.”

 

“He’s stubborn like that. Won’t move if he doesn’t want to, won’t drop if he can convince himself out of it. But that’s why we love him.”

 

Minhyuk hums along in agreement. They talk a little longer, moving fluidly from things that happened while on set to how cooking is going now that Kihyun isn’t there to how much less Minhyuk has been speaking since he was put on Caregiver duty. Eventually, Kihyun excuses himself, says he needs to sleep, he has another day of singing and talking to boring people about boring things, goodnight Minnie, take care of yourself. Minhyuk puts down his phone for the first time in --- _call duration: 1 hour, 42 minutes_ \-- and gets on his laptop. He’s got more research to do.

**

Minhyuk is sitting on the couch, reading a novel a fan recommended, when it happens.

He hears a muffled snicker. He almost doubts himself, but then there’s another delighted noise and he’s onto his feet. Peeking around the corner, he sees it. A smile comes across his face slowly, unstoppable, then blindingly wide.

 

Shownu is laying on his stomach dressed in a black onesie with big white stars on it, a blanket partially over him but mostly over his head. The muffled sound of children’s television is coming out of his ipad, which now has a pastel blue child-proof case on it, one of the ones with a handle and silicone arms and little feet than can stand up on its own. One of the characters gets whopped over the head. Another giggle comes out, this one followed by a hand coming over his mouth and doing a very poor job of blocking the sound. It’s just so cute, so intimate to catch him off guard like this, but it feels wrong.

 

_He shouldn’t meet me, not like this._

 

He hasn’t noticed Minhyuk yet, which is good. He’d be motified to find someone has snuck up on him when he’s this vulnerable. He can’t risk it. Minhyuk steps back out again to compose himself, then clears his throat loudly enough for Shownu to hear. “Is that my baby in there?”

 

The laughter stops.

 

“It’s Minnie, baby. Are-”

 

“Minnie?” Shownu turns, head still mostly covered by the blanket but unmistakeably startled. He can see the thoughts moving back and forth through the Little’s head, trying to decide if he should run or hide or maybe try to become Big again. “What??? Why-- Gotta be alone, Minnie, no--”

 

“Hey, hey! It’s ok, sweetheart.” He sits down cross-legged, non-threatening. “It’s ok, baby, you’re safe. What are you doing, honey? Wanna tell Minnie what you’re watching?”

 

The words are barely a whisper, coming out in a jumble due to letters and sounds the Little doesn’t have a grasp on yet. “...Ses’me Street.”

 

“Sesame Street? I love that show! Can Minnie watch it too?”

 

The words are met with silence. Minhyuk wonders if he’s done anything wrong, prays tht he hasn’t said the wrong thing, but finally _finally_ he sees his shoulders lower and his muscles relax. With a look of determination, Shownu gets off of his stomach and trudges over to Minhyuk on his knees. He puts the screen mere centimeters from his caregiver’s face, smile bright, and says, “Ses’me Street!”

 

Shownu settles in between Minhyuk’s legs, head resting on his shoulder. He balances the ipad on the floor where both of them can see, then pulls the blanket over them. Minhyuk wraps his arms around the Little’s waist, earning a squeal of delight as said Little nuzzles further into his warmth.

 

 _Hm,_ he grins, _I could get used to this..._

**

The day has been… eventful, for one. Who knew Little Shownu liked to be held so much? And how on earth did Kihyun do it? Did his little body secretly have superhuman strength?

 

“Minnie! Minnie!” Shownu makes grabby hands, pulling the other man down onto the floor. Minhyuk takes it in stride, rolling around so he can wrap his arms around the Little. He presses loud kisses to his head.

 

“Hi baby! Are you hungry?”

 

“Mmmm yes! Food!”

 

“What would my baby boy like to eat?” The Little looks at him, then thinks hard. He scrunches up his face as he tries to think up the things he likes and the words he knows how to say.

 

“Eat Minnie!” Without warning, he latches himself onto Minhyuk’s arm by the jaw. It isn’t hard enough to hurt, but the warmth and the occasional pass of a tongue tickles. Shownu takes this as permission to topple Minhyuk and softly bite his shoulder, falling on top of him. Minhyuk can’t stop laughing, which makes Shownu bite him more until they’re both in a breathless heap.

 

God, Little Shownu is going to be the death of him.  

**

His mobile rings on the nightstand, jarring in the quiet of his fancy single-bed suite.

 

 _Bedtime for cutie_ the text reads.  

 

Kihyun grins at the sight of Minhyuk squatting beside Shownu's bed, smiling his crooked smile. His favorite teddy bear plushie, Nounours, is tucked securely under his (admittedly massive) arm. Minhyuk is going to have to take a bath to wash off all of the marker stains on him, but by the light in his eyes, Kihyun doesn’t think that will be much of a problem.

  
_Thank you_.

**Author's Note:**

> Love me some Sesame Street. Let me know if there are any prompts you'd like to see!
> 
> Fixing errors as I find them.


End file.
